The present invention relates to the field of communication, and more particularly to a system and method of generating protocol-specific keys for use in a mixed communication network.
In recent years, devices and communication protocols have become more and more prevalent. For example, users often have multiple different devices supporting multiple different communication protocols. Devices may generally support a single communication protocol or a plurality of different communication protocols, such as Ethernet, 802.11, Bluetooth, powerline communication (PLC), multimedia over coaxial (MoCA), IEEE 1901 compliant protocols, etc. Additionally, new and improved communication protocols are constantly being developed. Typically, the communication mechanisms and protocol specifics (e.g., device and topology discovery protocols, bridging protocols, etc.) are unique to each networking technology. In this disclosure the terms “networking technology,” “access technology” and “communication protocol” may be used interchangeably to refer to the different protocols and technologies that may be used in a mixed communication network. A mixed communication network may also be referred to as a hybrid communication network.
Given the proliferation of devices and communication protocols, it is desirable to create networks that allow different devices to communicate using a variety of different communication protocols. Accordingly, improvements in communication networks are desired.